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l. F. NILES.

SHEETFEEDING MECHANISNI.

APPLICATION msn MAY z, |912 Patented A1101 12, 1919.

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SHEETF`EED|NG MECHANISM.. APPUCATION FILED MAY 2. |912 Patented Aug. 1.2, 1919.

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l. F. NILES.

SHEETFEEDING MECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. |912 Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE. Y

IRVING F. NILES, OF PLAIN'FIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO R. HOE AND CO., OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SHEET-FEEDING vlVIIlCI-ILANISIlVI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, InviNc. FL NiLns, a

l citizen f the United States, residing at Plainfield, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Feeding Mechanisms, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, Vforming a part'y of Vthe same. Y

This invention relates to sheet feeding and sheet registering devices for printing mav chines, with particular reference to the feed` ing and registering of rigid sheets, suchr as those made of tin, or other metal, which are commonly handled in offset printing` presses.

One object of the invention is to produce a machine in which the labor involved in handling sheets such as those of tin is reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to produce a machine in which the feeding of such sheets may be accomplished automatically and with certain y.

' Still another object is to produce a machine which will eect a perfect registration of such sheets, both front and side. y

With these and other objects not specifically referred to in view, the invention consists in certain constructions, andin certain parts, improvements and combinations as will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically pointed out. Y

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a plan of the feeding device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism showing the sheet carriers.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of theregisteringdevices.

achines embodying the invention will include devices for registering the sheets and feeding devices b y which the sheets are delivered to registration devices, and these latter will be referred to first. While l various means may be employed for delivering the sheets to the registering devices, in

the construction shown these means will include feeding rolls 57 and 58 to which the great advantage.` At the same" time' 'the sheet should be relieved Vof the pressure of",

the feeder so that there will be no tendency for the next sheet to be moved `out of place as the top sheet is' drawn through the rolls;

Mechanism to secure theseresultsmay be constructed in many forms', only onefo'f which, however, is 4here neccssaryinorder t0 disclose fullythe invention.v As'shown in Figs. land 2, the upper rolls 57,57 are car-1 ried at the Vends of a shaft 59 mounted in yan arm 60 swiveled toa shaft 61, the two rolls resting'upon two of the carrier tape rolls 58, 58 immediately beneath Vthem and .by which they are fiictionally driven. Afeedei rod 36 operating a pilefeeder (not shown) carries anadjustable sleeve 62, the under sideof which is provided with a cam surface 63.A

The arm 60 is equipped with a small roller 64 adapted to contact with the cam) sur'- face 68.

At 'the point where the YfeederV is moving to the left andthe ysheet has Vjust entered the bite ofthe rolls 57 and 58, the cam surface 63 strikes the roller 6i and the rod 36' is thereby cammed upward.

tainty to the series of carrier tapes 65, 65

belted about `the rolls 58. A second setf'of carrier tapes 66. 66 copcratewith'the tapes 65, l65 lto carry the sheet upon ka pair of chainsY 67, 67 which are provided with suitable stops 68 against which the front edges This relievesthe pile of sheets of the weight of the'feeder Patented Angus, 1919.

'85 that the sheetfis drawn forwardv with cerof the sheet may be brought in a preliminary front registrationmovement.

This is effected by giving the carrier tapes 65 an'dz66l amore rapid movement thany they chains 67, 67; the arrangement crowding the sheet upon the chains until its forward edge is arrested by contact with the stops 68 upon the chains. The length of the chains is equal substantially to the circumference of a sheet cylinder 69 and the chains and cylinder move at the same peripheral rate of speed.

By the mechanism thus far described, the

sheet is brought into position for final registration before it is seized by the grippers mounted in the sheet cylinder. Mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention should accordingly provide means to effect front and side registration of the sheet at this time. In the present illustration of such means, the front registration 1s secured by a stop 70 located upon the grippers 72' of theVv loosely mounted upon shaft 75, so that:

should" the sheethave any skew, as it comes into contact with the gripper stops, the rollers 73 and 74 will permit the frictional drive of thel drums below them to force the sheet under one'r'oller faster than under the other so that front registration'may be attained.

typical means of VsecuringV side registration in the embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 3. The rollers 73 and 7 4 are rubber covered and are pressed by springs 76,76npon the iron drums 77, 78 carried by a shaft 79, driven by a centrally located gear S0. The rollers are movable longitudinally overthe drums means of a follower arm 81 fulcrumed at 82 and equippedV with a roller 83 bearing upon la cam- 84 mounted upon a ,collar 85 and driven from shaft The follower arm lspring is shown at The connection between the shaft 75 and the follower arm 8l is loose so that the shaft and' rubber covered rollers have a swiveled movement to compensate for inequalities in the sheetswhich pass between these rollers and the iron drums. As the machine is operated,the `cam 8e forces the lower part of the follower arm to the right, as viewed in F 3, causing aright hand movement of y the rollers 7 3 and 74 upon the drums, thereby crowding the sheet to the right. Cooperating with 'this mechanism isqa registering stop 8S comprising a. flanged friction roller mounted upon a micrometer slide 89 which is clamped Ato a reciprocating rod 90 having bearings in theframe. Fulcrumed upon rthe frame at 91 is a follower arm. 92 having a roller 93 engaging a cam 9i mounted upon one of the main shafts of the machine. The follower arm spring is shown at 95. The upper end of the follower arm engages a slotted yoke 96 in the rod 90 so that the rod is reciprocated by the cam 94.

In operation, as the rollers 73 and 7 4 tend to crowd the sheet to the right, the right hand edge of the sheet is met by the advancn ing stop 88 which limits its motion in that direction, thereby determining the registration.

The operative parts of the mechanism may be driven from the impression cylinder through the gearing shown.

It will be understood that changes and variations may be made in the construction by which the invention is carried into effect. The invention claimed, therefore, is not to be confined t-o the particular construction herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

That is claimed is 1. In a sheet feeding mechanism, an abutment, carrying devices adapted to move the sheet forward for front registration against the abutment, rollers in continuous contact with the sheet but permitting its free forward` movement, the said rollers being adapted to move the sheet laterally in one direct-ion to effect side registration, an actuator to cause the transverse movement of l witnesses.

IRVING F. NILES. Witnesses:

RICHARD KELLY, J oHN M. W. JORDAN.

Gbpies of this patent may be obtained for-ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

washington, n. c. 

